FRENCH SOLDIERS man an observation post outside Sevare, some 400 miles north of Mali's capital Bamako Jan. 24. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida-linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French airstrikes. A local official says that Islamic extremists based in the Malian town of Ansongo destroyed a bridge Thursday near the Niger border, marking the first use of explosives by the insurgents since the start of the French-led military intervention exactly two weeks ago. AP Photo/Jerome Delay

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FRENCH SOLDIERS man an observation post outside Sevare, some 400 miles north of Mali's capital Bamako Jan. 24. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida-linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French airstrikes. A local official says that Islamic extremists based in the Malian town of Ansongo destroyed a bridge Thursday near the Niger border, marking the first use of explosives by the insurgents since the start of the French-led military intervention exactly two weeks ago.